The command master chief of a helicopter squadron has been fired for poor performance while the unit was in the Persian Gulf, Naval Air Force Atlantic said Tuesday.

Command Master Chief (AW/SW) Roy Carter was removed from his post with Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 70 on Tuesday by Cmdr. Peter Schnappauf III, the unit’s commanding officer, AIRLANT said in a news release. The “Spartans” are deployed on the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush, which entered the gulf June 14.

Carter’s firing comes after a long run of unsatisfactory performance as the Jacksonville, Florida-based squadron’s senior enlisted leader, the release said. Carter has been reassigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing Atlantic in Mayport, Florida.

HSM-70, an MH-60R Seahawk squadron, has been deployed to 5th Fleet with Carrier Air Wing 8 as part of the Bush Carrier Strike Group since February. The group moved into the Persian Gulf for possible support of operations in Iraq.

Command Master Chief (AW/SW) Kenneth Alvardo will take over as HSM-70’s senior enlisted leader until a permanent replacement is chosen, the release said.

Carter, a former storekeeper, joined in Navy in 1986 and has served aboard the destroyers Roosevelt and Towers, the amphibious command ship Blue Ridge, the amphibious assault ship Nassau and as an individual augmentee to Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, according to his official bio. Carter did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.

His awards include five Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and seven Good Conduct Medals.